The invention relates to a combustability tester for accurately testing the combustability of a chair, bed, quilt, matress, blanket and sheet when contacted by the lighted end of a cigarette, and more particularly, to a combustability tester which includes a heater having a combustion effect similar to that of a cigarette, and a control circuit for the heater.
In a conventional method of testing the combustability of an article, a lighted cigarette is placed on, for example, a chair, in order to determine the combustability thereof. However, the temperature of the lighted end of a cigarette varies depending upon the humidity of the ambient air and the thermal capacity and combustion heating value of the cigarette. The test results can therefore vary greatly depending on ambient conditions and the combustion characteristics of the cigarette. In addition, the cigarette may die out during such a combustability test.